The present invention relates to a liquid dispenser system and especially to a bathroom liquid dispenser system for dispensing a cleaning liquid remotely stored in a wall to a bathroom fixture.
In the past, it has been common to provide cleaning liquids or fluids in a water closet or toilet tank. The cleaning fluids enter the water in the tank and are then flushed into the toilet bowl when the toilet is flushed. This is commonly done by placing a cleaning agent in a solid form in the toilet tank where it dissolves in the water in the toilet tank at a slot rate. The material placed in the toilet tank will last for a short period of time constantly dissolving small amounts into the water within the toilet tank which is then flushed into the toilet bowl. This type of toilet bowl cleaner has limited effectiveness in that the amount of cleaner dissolved within the water is variable depending on the water and how often the toilet is flushed to remove and replace the water in the tank. Thus, hard water or water with considerable minerals therein tends to have a reduced ability to dissolve the solid structure of the cleaning agent while softer water tends to dissolve greater amounts of the cleaning solid.
It has also been suggested in a number of prior art patents to have liquid dispensers for dispensing liquid cleaning agents into a toilet tank and from the toilet tank into the toilet bowl and also directly into the toilet bowl. Such prior art U.S. patents can be seen in the Jones patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,260, for a Float Control Dispenser, in which the rising and falling of the water level in the toilet tank raises the float to mechanically release a predetermined amount of cleaning agent into the toilet tank with each flush. Similarly, the Tsai patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,041, is a Dispensing Device for toilets which include a supply container of liquid cleanser which is dispensed during each flushing cycle. The unit is attached to the inside of a toilet tank. The Gordon patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,167, is a Disinfectant Dispenser for the water tank of a water closet in which the rising and falling of a float dispenses the liquid from inside the toilet tank. The French patent No. 1,950,139 is similarly placed inside the toilet tank for dispensing disinfectants within the tank and into the toilet bowl. The flushing handle that actuates the flushing mechanism is connected to simultaneously actuate the dispensing of the liquid from a storage container located within the toilet tank. The Kemper patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,718, is a Liquid Dispenser also placed within a toilet tank and which is actuated by a float each time the toilet is flushed to dispense predetermined amounts of disinfectant within the toilet tank.
The Kneen U.S. Pat. No. 939,424 shows a Valve for a Water Closet Disinfecting Device in which the storage container is placed on top of the toilet tank with a dispensing valve which is nudged to release the disinfectant when the flushing handle is actuated. In the Martin patent, U.S. Pat. No. 703,287 a Device for Automatically Distributing Disinfecting Fluids has the storage container placed above the toilet tank and is mechanically actuated to move a dispensing spout to dispense the fluid. The Hahesy patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,007,442, also teaches an Automatic Disinfecting Device in which the storage tank is attached to the wall adjacent the water closet water tank and mechanically dispenses a fluid responsive to a float valve having an extension stem operative upon changing of the water level.
In contrast to these prior art patents, the present invention is directed towards a liquid dispenser for dispensing cleaning or disinfecting agents into a toilet tank and in which a storage container is mounted inside the wall along with an electric pump so that much larger amounts of liquid cleaner can be stored and dispensed over a longer period of time. The use of unattractive storage tanks mounted to the side of a wall and of limited space storage tanks and dispensers mounted within the toilet tank is eliminated. The access panel is disguised with a mirror and a much more accurate dispensing of the cleaning fluid is achieved with an electrically actuated pump operated through a timer for a predetermined time period.